In ancient times Lake Bafa was open to the sea and was known as the Gulf of Latmos. On the entrance of the gulf was Miletus in the south and Priene in the north. Within the gulf was the small Carian city Herakleia. The gulf was an important place for marble, e.g. the...

Herakleia is a harbor city that was built in BC 350 at the command of King Mausolos of Caria. The people of the Gulf of Latmos (now Lake Bafa) were brought by force from Latmos to establish Herakleia. The main means of subsistence for the people was the quarrying and...

Just as Didyma was the holy site for the nearby city of Miletos, so too was Labranda the holy site (of the God Zeus) for the city of Mylasa. The Carian people built a road between Mylasa and Labranda. The oldest ruins are from BC 600 but most of the present buildings...

Mylasa is a very picturesque western Anatolian town, halfway between Söke and Bodrum. Though the population has recently expanded, it has lost none of its traditional flavor. Typical of the city are the old houses with overlying bay windows and courtyards. On every...

Euromos is just off the main Söke-Milas road, though most people pass it by on their non-stop rush to the coast. It is actually well worth a visit, especially for its Temple of Zeus with its 12 still-standing Corinthian columns, in spite of the many earthquakes the...

The foundations of modern science were established between 600 BC - 450 BC in Miletus. Thales, who measured the duration of a solar eclipse, Anaximenes, and Anaximendros, who theorized about the nature of existence and Hypodames the first city planner, all were...

Didyma is today best known as a holiday center, but it actually takes its name from one of the greatest centers of knowledge of the ancient world, which is the Temple of Apollo with its famous oracle. The original temple was destroyed by the Persians but on the orders...

Priene lies on the southern flank of Mount Samsun 20 km from Söke and looks out over the whole of the Meander Plain. It is one of the most beautiful historical sites of the Aegean and was one of the 12 cities of the ancient Ionic League. Around 450 BC the city was...

Iasos was built by Argonauts from the city of Argos in the 9th century BC but it later came under the dominance of Miletus. In the 5th century BC it came under the control of Athens and from the 4th century BC, it was managed by Mausolos, the king of Halicarnassus....

Ephesus has been a major historical destination for explorers and archaeologists for over one hundred years. It is the largest excavated site in Anatolia. It was once the most important commercial center in Asia. It was the capital city of the Roman Province of Asia...